The Haunted Way By Neil Wesson

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Book Synopsis

When Lee, Maddie and Sarah meet in the pub to plan this years charity walk; none of them could possibly know that the route they picked would cause a series of strange events and encounters to take place.

Passing through many villages while on the way, Maddie recounts supernatural tales in regard to each location, none of the party though could be aware that they themselves were becoming part of a bigger tale...

At the end of the first days walking all three experience a strange encounter, is it heat and Maddies stories dwelling on their minds, or something much more sinister..?

This book is much more then a novel, the walk actually exists and can be followed by the use of the maps included within the book (in conjunction with O/S Explorer Map 263).

Excerpt:

“Map?” Alistair asked as Maddie closed the door of the large, whitewashed detached house behind her. The lock snapped shut with a clear distinct click. It was springtime now in this small part of East Yorkshire. All was coming alive with the onset of the warmer weather; the climbing rose which snaked its way around the large wooden archway framing the entrance to the house, was slowly forming buds on its branches. Shreds of red were already bursting through the green, trying to gain access to the sunlight.

Maddie could hear the sound of her husband’s patent leather shoes crunching on the gravel driveway which looped around the front of the mock Tudor style dwelling. The garage door hummed and groaned as it swung open unaided by her husband’s hand. It needed oiling but he didn’t have a clue about that sort of thing, she would probably end up doing that little job herself.
Maddie couldn’t believe, once again, he was going to drive them the half mile or so to the pub. She already knew, of course, that Alistair would use the excuse that he had to keep a clear head for the morning; or at least something along those lines. Though he was only twelve years her senior, she sometimes had the distinct feeling that the age gap between them was considerably more, even twice that, given some of his behaviour. He was so controlling at times; never letting go and enjoying himself. She presumed that it was so long since he let his hair down (not that he had much left these days) he no longer knew how to do it. “Lee will have sorted all that out” she answered, before putting her front door key into her shoulder bag which was instantly snapped shut.

Only the slightest hint of recognition at what she had just said came from the soberly dressed man who was, at that moment in time, deeply engrossed in trying to decide which of his Holy Trinity of automobiles to use for the short distance they needed to travel. For him, arriving in the correct car was far more important than actually being in the public house. He didn’t really like such places, far too many people of a lower class to himself; people he knew that should not be spending their money on such frivolities as alcohol, not when they couldn’t keep up their payments on credit cards, loans and mortgages.
Thinking back over the many years of their union, Maddie could not remember a single occasion when her husband could have been accused of dressing down. Even when it came to days off on holiday, for example, he would invariably don slacks and a short sleeved shirt. On many of her regular shopping trips, which were becoming more frequent these days, she had bought him a selection of smart polo shirts and designer jeans. They all still sat untouched in the bottom of his wardrobe. Despite of all this, she still had the same feelings about him as she did when they first met.

So, he was older than her and dressed, well, like a bank manager? For all of this he was still a good looking man for his age and well paid. Maddie did enjoy the lifestyle his salary provided. She could shop with virtually unlimited credit; spend the morning at the gym or just sit at home reading through a whole selection of magazines dedicated to the housewife; publications which she would tidy away before the homecoming of her husband. Reading them was her guilty secret pleasure. Was that the reason she would set herself a challenge once a year? Tonight was the start of the planning for that very event.

In the rear view mirror, Alistair saw the garage door slide shut. The engine of the Mercedes purred like a contented cat as it idled. Once the passenger door closed the engine roared into life. Slowly and majestically the car pulled away up the drive; Alistair did not want to disturb the gravel lined driveway too much. “Did you bring the map?” he asked once again.
“No dear," Maddie said. He hadn’t been listening, just as she had suspected.